Saturday, January 14, 2006

Je Recuse --

This morning, the Associated Press announced the president's dissatisfaction with the Senate's delay in confirming Judge Alito to the Supreme Court. Is this what the phrase "unitary executive branch" means, the ability to pressure senators to confirm a presidential nominee?We might remind the chief executive, of our country, that he, too, was appointed by the same Supreme Court he's currently seating.

In his propensity for coercion, abundantly displayed in an attempt to pressure elected officials to go along with his wishes, not only does this commander-in-chief display bias, in favor of the executive branch, a flagrant disregard for due process whether it manifest in a court of law or Congress, but an inability to respect the checks and balances that have, for centuries, separated our system of government from a monarchy.

Indeed, any president who abuses notions of "executive privilege" to such an egregious, and downright annoying, degree, may wish to consider, in future, whether he should recuse himself if another vacancy on the Court, heaven forbid, happens to occur on his watch.

We must give credit where credit is due and, if nothing else, the president has shown those of us who like to delude ourselves that we live in the 21st Century that the term "unitary" has other applications besides in quantum physics.